1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of a card connector device used for a small memory card or the like for use in various portable information terminals such as a portable telephone or a PC, or memory support equipment such as a digital camera or digital AV equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
A card connector device is generally used as an expansion recording device of electronic equipment such as a personal computer or a digital camera. A PC card or a memory card has been widely used as a storage medium of this card connector device.
This PC card or memory card is mounted in the card connector device to write and read necessary information, and some card connector device is provided with a lock mechanism for holding a slide member, which houses a card and can move in an insertion direction of the card, at a mount position of the card. There is known one having such a structure that in a case where the card held at the mount position is ejected to an ejection position, the lock of the locked slide member is released to move the slide member in an ejection direction of the card by the urging force of a return spring urging the slide member toward the ejection direction of the card, so that the card, together with the slide member, is pushed out.
The lock mechanism is provided with a heart-shaped cam groove having a lock part, a lock pin slidable along this heart-shaped cam groove, and an urging spring for urging one end of this lock pin toward the heart-shaped cam groove, and the structure is such that with the movement of the slide member, the lock pin is moved in the heart-shaped cam groove and is locked to the lock part, and when the card is once pressed, the lock of the slide member is released and the card is ejected.
In this case, although the slide member is locked to the mount position of the card by the lock mechanism, the card is held only by a terminal pressure of a connector terminal or the like at the mount position, and there is a fear that the card falls out by vibration or the like, and therefore, in order to ensure the holding of the card, there is recently proposed such a structure that an elastic projecting piece having elasticity is formed at the slide member housing the card, and this elastic projecting piece is made to engage with a fastening recess part of the card at the mount position so that the card is held.
However, in the above-described conventional card connector device, it is necessary that the slide member is provided with the elastic projecting piece for holding the mounted card and the urging spring for urging the lock pin toward the heart-shaped cam groove, and there have been problems that since the number of parts becomes large, the number of assembling steps is increased, and the workability becomes complicated so that the cost is raised.
Accordingly, the invention has an object to solve the foregoing problems and to provide a card connector device including a slide member engaged with a card and to be movable as the card is inserted and ejected, in which the number of parts of an ejection mechanism for ejecting the card is reduced, and the workability of assembly is simplified so that a low price can be realized.
In order to solve the problems, first means of the invention comprises a housing in which a card is mounted, a slide member disposed to engage with the card and to be movable in an insertion and ejection direction of the card as the card is inserted and ejected, a return spring for urging the slide member toward the ejection direction of the card, and lock means including a lock pin and a heart-shaped cam groove along which the lock pin slides, for locking the slide member at a mount position of the card against an urging force of the return spring and for releasing a lock by moving the slide member from the lock position to a back side, and is characterized in that the slide member is formed of one metal plate, and in the slide member, a lock pin urging part for supporting the lock pin to enable swing and for urging its one end toward the heart-shaped cam groove, an elastic fastening part for holding the card at the mount position by engagement with a fastening recess part of the card, and a guide part for guiding movement when the card is moved in the insertion and ejection direction are integrally formed by bending.
Besides, second means is characterized in that the heart-shaped cam groove is formed at a front end side of the housing in the card insertion direction, the lock pin sliding along the heart-shaped cam groove projects from a front edge part of the slide member and is supported, and the lock pin urging part is shaped into a plate spring having elasticity by folding back the front edge part of the slide member rearward.
Besides, third means is characterized in that the lock pin urging part is provided with an insertion part through which one end side of the lock pin is inserted to enable swing, folded parts positioned at both edges of the insertion part, and a pressing part coupled to the folded parts, for urging one end of the lock pin toward the heart-shaped cam groove, and the pressing part is formed to be long in a direction orthogonal to a projecting direction of the lock pin.
Besides, fourth means is characterized in that projecting parts projecting from the front edge part of the slide member are formed in the folded parts, and the one end of the lock pin is disposed between both the projecting parts.
Besides, fifth means is characterized in that a return spring for urging the slide member toward the ejection direction of the card is disposed at a rear end side of the housing in which the heart-shaped cam groove is formed at a front end side, and the slide member is formed to overlap with the heart-shaped cam groove when the slide member is moved to the mount position of the card.
Besides, sixth means is characterized in that the guide part is formed by bending one side edge part of the slide member toward an inner bottom surface side of the housing, and a concave guide groove corresponding to the one side edge part is formed in the inner bottom surface of the housing.